1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to lures or artificial bait for effectively attracting and catching edible marine animals. More specifically, the invention relates to a lure particularly and uniquely designed and adapted to catch fish and crabs.
Because it is known that a variety of living fish and crabs feed upon living crabs, it is desirable that an artificial lure which employs an artificial crab as bait be configured to assume, as realistically as possible, the exact shape and characteristic details of a natural crab. The degree to which an artificial crab lure successfully authenticates the appearance of a natural crab is directly determinative of its ability to attract and catch live fish and crabs.
In addition to visually presenting the inherent structural peculiarities of a living crab, an effective crab lure will desirably simulate the behavior of a living crab in the water. It is thus advantageous that a crab lure be fabricated of such a material and in such a manner so as to enable it to operatively execute the unique, undulating motion, as well as the straight and sideward travelling movements, of a living crab, when the lure is acted upon by the water and by the fishing line to which it is attached.
A further significant feature which serves to enhance the effectiveness of a lure involves the color and luster of the lure. In the case of crab lures, it has been discovered that the degree to which crabs are attracted to the lure can be greatly increased by forming the body of the artificial crab from a colored translucent material having contrasting light-reflective particles randomly embedded therein. The latter combination of contrasting color, and light reflection, appeals to living crabs at their preferred water depths.
Thus, the need exists for a crab lure which is able to realistically adopt the structural form, operative behavior, and visual colorations, of a living crab, when introduced into the natural habitat of livin crabs and fish so as to attract crabs and fish in large numbers. Moreover, the need exists for a crab lure possessing such attributes and which is easy to utilize, is simple in construction, is conducive to conventional manufacturing techniques, and which is cost-effective.
The present invention achieves the foregoing attributes and objectives by providing a crab lure which possesses the structural details of a living crab. The crab lure is fabricated as a unitary member of polyvinylchloride or the like by injection molding techniques to yield a complete, unitary crab lure that is pliable and resilient. The crab lure body is molded integral with a shank for receiving a hook and, thus, is characterized by simplicity in construction and ease of utilization. The orientation of the shank with respect to the crab lure body, together with the characteristic resiliency of the lure, renders the present crab lure uniquely capable of simulating the action of a living crab when the lure is disposed in depths of water. Finally, the novel crab lure of the subject invention is color-pigmented, and is provided withcontrasting,randomlydispersed light reflective particles, which create an appearance in water that is particularly appealing to living crabs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art to provide a lure which is luminous, and which has the general configuration of a living crab. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,303,097 to Townsend et al. discloses a crab form bait. The bait, however, is formed from numerous components, principally a head and legs section, an upper shell section and a lower shell section, which are assembled and secured together. Although the head and legs section is molded as one piece, it contains an embedded metal stiffening brace and a keyblock. Luminosity of the bait is achieved by incorporating into the molding material salts which glow after having been exposed to natural or artificial light.
The prior art further discloses the concept of applying light reflective particles to a fish lure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,060 to Abercrombie, for example, shows a fish lure body 10 which is decorated with glitter particles to simulate the scales of a fish. The body of the lure is rigid, being formed of a heavy metal. The glitter particles are applied to the body by means of glue.
It is also generally known in the prior art to fabricate a fish lure from a polyvinyl resin. The latter teaching is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,668 to Burke, wherein a fish lure is formed by molding a synthetic resin. The lure is formed by depositing numerous layers of colored material into the mold.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,490 to Peters et al. shows a lure having a body preferably fabricated of resilient thermoplastic material; U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,884 to Zeman discloses a molded elastomeric lure, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,076 to Weaver teaches a molded synthetic plastic worm.
The prior art fails to teach or suggest the novel combination of a crab lure having the structural configuration of a crab and being formed as a unitary member with an integral hook shank of a pliant polyvinylchloride pigmented material containingtherein randomly dispersed light reflective particles.